Robertson puts his heart into keeping Livingston afloat

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HELL hath no fury like a manager scorned. That potential for revenge ought to make Vladimir Romanov a nervous man when he goes to Almondvale Stadium tomorrow. His treatment of John Robertson 11 months ago left many Heart of Midlothian fans troubled. Now the man who scored so many goals for them could be ready to settle his own personal score.

Fate and football’s sense of irony surely conspired to present Livingston’s new manager with his first game at home against the club — or, more accurately, the man — who jettisoned him in such a remarkable fashion. Robertson is a Tynecastle legend because of his 18 years and 300-odd goals as a player, but his managerial tenure — barely six months — will not even rank as a footnote just a year from now.

The blame for such brevity lies with Romanov, who recruited Robertson from Inverness Caledonian Thistle in October 2004 to replace Craig Levein and then sacked him in April 2005. Ostensibly, the reason was that Hearts’ fifth-place in the Bank of Scotland Premierleague would cost them Uefa Cup qualification, though Robertson did take the team through to the semifinals of both the CIS Insurance Cup and Tennent’s Scottish Cup.

In reality, though, it was because Robertson railed against the Lithuanian owner’s interference in team matters, a theme that has become far less of a closed subject this season under his successors.

The last time Romanov went to Almondvale, he sat in among the Hearts fans in a T-shirt in a “staged” photo opportunity before changing back into his suit and returning to the directors’ box for the second half as his team won 4-1 back in September — it was a symbolic moment of the millionaire’s reign, which has smacked of Emperor’s New Clothes ever since.

Very few get the chance to tell Emperor Romanov that he has got it wrong. George Burley, who was in the away dugout that day, said goodbye after going to the top of the table with a sequence of ten unbeaten games from the start of term. Graham Rix had a more public embarrassment, as he told the Hearts players before last month’s game with Dundee United that he was not responsible for picking the team.

Not surprisingly, the habitually loquacious Robertson has kept a low profile this week. Do your talking on the pitch, will be the philosophy of the Livingston manager. There are just 11 games left to secure the club’s survival in the Premierleague — and they are seven points adrift of Dunfermline Athletic — yet he knows that this is where any comeback must begin.

Robertson’s first game, a fortnight ago at Kilmarnock, merely underlined the desperate fortune that Livingston enjoyed under his predecessor, Paul Lambert. They went a goal up at Rugby Park, yet still lost 3-1. Lambert actually inflicted a defeat upon Hearts in his short tenure, knocking them out of the CIS Cup. Now his successor needs to recreate that moment.

“It doesn’t matter what industry or what position you are in, if you are out of work then you love to get back into it,” Robertson said yesterday. “It is a difficult situation that we find ourselves in but we must get on with it. The team know what’s required over the last 11 matches to get out of it and we will give our absolute best to do the job, starting on Sunday. I have absolutely no doubts whatsoever that we can stay in the Premierleague.”

Robertson will not be drawn on Romanov and yet as he outlines his belief that there is a way out of this situation for Livingston, he almost imperceptibly thrusts greater pressure on to his old club.

“A lot of people think Rangers can still catch Hearts for the Champions League place this season,” he noted. “So why can’t we catch Dunfermline when the gap between us is one point less?” To gauge Robertson’s feeling about the way he was treated by Romanov, you have to go back 17 days to his appointment as Livingston manager when he allowed a few cryptic comments to slip out.

“I read the contract, then I read it again and I’m pretty sure there is no Lithuanian in it so, hopefully, things will work out a wee bit better at Livingston than they did at Hearts,” Robertson joked. “There’s no review period either so I’m happy. I feel honoured and privileged to have been given the opportunity to manage Livingston and I hope I can repay them by keeping them in the Premierleague.

“Come to think of it, if it were to mean keeping Livingston in the Premierleague, I’ll even let the chairman pick the team.”

Robertson has been reluctant to talk about his time at Hearts since leaving, although he admitted that his time at the club had taken its toll, even leading him to question his own abilities as a manager. “I probably didn’t realise at the time but I think the way things turned out at Hearts took a lot out of me and probably dented my confidence,” he admitted.

“I was looking at myself and questioning myself but that’s all in the past now. I ended up at Ross County and things started off really well there until all the financial things blew up and I knew I had to leave.

“So it’s been a hard year, there’s no doubt about that. The break I had after leaving Ross County probably came at just the right time as it allowed me a wee breather and to get my head together. It has refreshed me. I’m ready to come back and, hopefully, make an impact. I still have confidence in my own ability as a manager.

“It was unfortunate how things turned out there but that’s football. I’ve no regrets about going to Hearts as it was a fabulous time and I hope they continue to challenge for the title. Hearts are much bigger than John Robertson and the main thing is that they are successful.

“What happened at Hearts has helped to give me experience and I now have my eyes wide open all the time,” he added. “What’s going on at Hearts is nothing to do with me. The moment I walked out the door it stopped being anything to do with me. From now on, all my efforts and thoughts will be on keeping Livingston in the Premierleague.”

RIX UNCONCERNED BY STADIUM DEBATE

GRAHAM RIX, the Heart of Midlothian head coach, yesterday insisted he would be happy for the Tennent’s Scottish Cup semi-final with Hibernian to be played at Hampden Park but believes Murrayfield would be the sensible choice.

Rix rejected suggestions his team would have an advantage at Murrayfield, having played their Uefa Cup games there last season, because there have been so many changes to the Gorgie squad since then. But he admitted his Tynecastle side will simply have to put the debate out of their minds and concentrate on winning through to the May 13 final.

“I’m not too bothered where we play,” he said, “Either stadium is fantastic and I would be pleased to take my team to either, but I’m only focused on us. It will be a tough game and we’ve just got to get on with it.”